Good Intention
by perfectly weird
Summary: AU.Twilight!Crssovr.FemHarry!Edward. Albus really meant well. He only wish for Helen to find happiness. He did not count on Helen being thrown into a strange universe to deal with faulty magic, American culture, vampires and the enigmatic Edward Cullen
1. Prologue

**A/N: The plot bunnies just couldn't stop bouncing….**

**Summary: AU. FemHarry. Albus Dumbledore always meant well whenever it comes to Helen Potter's well-being. When he, even in death, decided to give the broody witch a means to find happiness, he did not intent for her to be thrown unceremoniously into another universe in Forks, Washington D.C., America where wizards and witches didn't exists and their biggest near-magical threat was actually a secretive world of carnivorous vampires. Truly alone in the strange world, Helen was confounded with problems such as faulty magical core, Muggle authority, strange American culture…and the enigmatic Edward Cullen. **

**Pairings:** **FenHarry!Helen/Edward, Alice/Jasper, Carlisle/Esme, Emmett/Rosalie, others**.

**Prologue**

The war was over and the wizarding world was left to build up their world again after so much were lost and sacrificed. They lost many to the countless fights, lives were mercilessly thorn apart and dwellings shattered when the war against the evil Dark Lord raged on.

The newly reinstated Ministry of Magic was slowly but surely establishing itself again and wizards and witches from all walks of lives pitched into the effort to build up once again their community. Donations and volunteers were surging in, showing their united front as one community for once.

In the midst of all the activities, one lone witch remained secluded and hidden from the wizarding community. In an Unplottable Land in wizarding Cornwall, tucked in a humble cottage surrounded by magical wards was the Saviour of wizarding Britain lying flat on her back with face contorted in pain in her sleep.

Tossing and turning on her bed, she was drenched in sweat with her white nightgown clinging to her body uncomfortably. Her feverish moans, sounds of despair and pain were met with silence and darkness from the night. Her nights were plagued by nightmares, ones that were sometimes filled with terrible memories of war and the worst ones were dreams of being completely alone, motionless in a void of grey emptiness.

With a silent scream, she was jolted awake. Her wide green eyes stared frantically at the ceiling of her room while her breathing came out in harsh pants.

"…" Helen blinked "…_Sweet Merlin…_" she brought both of her hands to cover her face, realizing that they shook horribly from her frayed nerves. Screwing her eyes shut, she felt the ugly coldness creeping inside her pores and covering her whole.

Her dry sobs were typically met with silence.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You had not been well,"

Helen ignored the penetrating gaze on her back in favour of staring at her cold cup of tea. She had been sitting motionless in the kitchen for half an hour after dragging herself out of her cold bed and hours of restless tossing and turning. It was a typical winter morning in December and she was wearing a large thick emerald sweater to ward off the cold.

She decided to make herself a steaming cup of tea and simple toast, which went half-eaten and tossed inside the bin. The smell of salt water and view of the vast ocean did nothing to calm her nerves. Initially, she had picked this place near the sea because she found that sitting by rocky cliffs watching the vast ocean sometimes calmed her. Now, everything was once again dull and made her feel numb again.

"You had the same nightmare again, didn't you."

Abruptly standing up, she emptied her cup in the sink and rinsed it quickly. The stare was getting heavier and Helen could feel the deep frown lining his face.

"My dear girl, how I wish you wouldn't suffer so much…"

There it was again. The regret. The pain.

Clutching the sides of the countertop heavily, Helen whipped her head around to glare at the magical portrait of her deceased mentor and Headmaster hanging majestically on the bare walls of the cottage. His was the only portrait she could bear to keep, for reasons that completely eluded even her own self.

"STOP IT!" anger surged in her veins as she hissed "nothing will change, not even you could do anything about it. It's over, _everyone's gone_…"

Albus Dumbledore's face visibly saddened. His voice was gentle, a fine contrast to her angry outburst "…but not on the expanse of your happiness…if I had known the amount of pain you would bear, I would never place such burdens on your shoulder."

Helen wanted to rage and threw tantrums at him, placing blames on him and just letting go but she found no real anger to her old Mentor. Albus had been the one who guided her with good intentions in his heart. Even though sometimes his methods were questionable at best, he was always looking out for her.

"It's out of your hands, Albus." She was always cursed by Fate, a tool that had worn its use. Nobody could do anything about it, not even the Great Albus Dumbledore. "You did what you had to…it was War…" her voice trailed and her vision clouded as unwanted memories assaulted her mind.

It was so very cold…

"Helen,"

Albus's gentle prodding tugged her out of her stupor before she went too deep. She blinked rapidly and tried to give him a resemblance of a smile but a twitch of the muscles on her face kept her from putting up a brave font.

She was crumbling, oh yes, she was crumbling fast.

"Helen, my dear child." Albus looked like he was not much different then her as he watched her curling into herself pathetically. Merlin knows how many times he had to watch her like this. "If only…" he did not finish that line of thought and she was left to brood all day while Albus went into his deep musing by himself.

~*~*~*~*~

A week later, she woke up with Hedwig nipping on her hair and shoving a package with her left feet to her with an insisting hoot. It was late evening and she fell asleep on the floor of the balcony with a thick blanket wrapped around her.

Relieving her loyal owl from her burden, Helen took out some food and water for Hedwig and left the famished bird to her meal in favour of inspecting the package obviously given to her. She shot the innocent looking Albus a look.

At her inquiring look, Albus cheerfully motion for her to open it.

"Open it, it's a special gift I had made for before I was, to put it bluntly, sent to the Death Realm. I never had the chance to get it delivered to you and thankfully, your owl Hedwig was able to follow my instruction beautifully to retrieve it. A clever one, she is."

Only Albus could give presents to someone even when he's dead.

"Indeed." She agreed, giving the owl a fond look. Hedwig seemed to realize that she was the subject of admiration since she looked up towards Helen and preened herself haughtily.

Helen chuckled quietly at her avian friend's antic and turned her attention towards the gift. She was surprised to find a square jewellery box in the wrapping and Albus beamed at her gasp of surprise as she discovered his gift.

A thin chain of white gold covered with a string of intricate runes in silver glowed from the interior of the cushioned box. The miniscule runes inscribed on the gold chain glittered softly when light catches it and Helen could feel the strong magic coming from the beautiful necklace. The magic from the runes flared protectively around her hand and it visibly _sang _as she carefully touched it, seeming to respond to her magic.

"Albus…" she gasped.

"As a small token of appreciation to your courage, my child, I infused a special charm on the fine necklace made by a master Goblin to bless and protect you. The magic of the necklace is intended to lead you to happiness, for I wanted nothing more than to give you such."

More than touched and awed by the gift, Helen could only stare in amazement at the gift while her eyes watered.

Albus's eyes were soft and very blue, his every visage gave her only kindness as he spoke again, unruffled by her silence "I hope you can accept this small gift from an old man, my dear. My greatest wish is only your happiness."

She gulped the ridiculous lump in her throat and thanked Albus deeply. The necklace was beautiful and when she clasped the chain around her neck, she felt the warmth that she missed for a long time.

A small smile lit up her face as she savoured the comforting warmth spreading through her body. Even though she was left all alone in the world now, her loved ones leaving her behind and happiness was all but a dream in this world, Albus's gift was a calming thing.

Helen was not optimistic enough to hope for any scrape of happiness left for her but she knew it would lift Albus's spirit to know that his spell _did _gave her a form of happiness, even if he was technically dead also.

"Thank you, Albus."

It was the last thing she said before the runes around the necklace suddenly glowed brightly once, twice then there was only white.


	2. Dual Realities

**Chapter 1**

The sound of muffled voices and strong smell of bleach were what she woke up to. Ignoring the overall aches of her body, she blinked tiredly towards the white ceiling while her brain took its time to process her surroundings.

She was in a hospital…why was she in a hospital again?

Last thing she remembered she was in her Unplottable shack, away from civilization and definitely away from meddling Healers and the likes. There was white light and…Albus gave her something…it was a charmed jewelry…

"_NO_!" she gasped, sitting up instantly. Someone in the room gave a small shriek of surprise but Helen ignored everything else as everything came back to her. Albus had given her a gift, a magical necklace…fused with his good intention to let her find happiness.

Even when her heart had frozen over with numbness, Helen had appreciated the thought behind the gift and put it on under Albus's beaming smile. She instantly fingered the chain over her throat with her fingers, the strange metal felt warm and alive under her clammy fingers.

She wondered what harebrained situation Albus had gotten her into this time, in one of his attempts to _help _her. There used to be a few minor things he urged her to after she had locked herself under isolation but she believed nothing like landing her in a hospital _somewhere_.

"Excuse me," a voice, calm and a bit hesitant called her out of her internal musings. The voice belonged to a man, with balding grey hair and freckled skin. His brown eyes were concerned as he took her in and he greatly resembled a Muggle Healer…in fact, as Helen finally learned to take her surroundings in, it looked like she was lying on a bed inside a Muggle hospital—complete with one of those beeping contraption she once saw in the telly!

A cold feeling of dread trickled down her spine.

"My name is Dr. Winstor and please, don't push yourself my dear. Relax, are safe now." The doctor said in what he thought was a soothing voice but Helen felt a bit indignant at being talked to like a child. As the doctor was talking, a woman in white uniform was bustling around checking the machines and scribbling notes in the background.

"Where am I?"

"You are in St. Angelo Hospital, Seattle," Helen's eyes visibly widened at the news, no wonder his accent was a bit off, but the doctor was not finished "you've been unconscious for a week after you were brought here from that incident; we thought we've lost you but you are definitely a fighter. It seems like you will be on the recovery road faster then we think, Ms. Potter."

"Incident…what do you mean by incident?" she managed to choke out the question, feeling like something heavy had settled inside her stomach and sinking her into the earth. Unfortunately, she felt like things will get a lot weirder…or worst.

This time, the doctor looked deeply saddened and his brown eyes darkened with sympathy…directed to her.

"I'm sorry, I suggest you rest first. You are wearing yourself out, and when you wake up, I will get someone here to explain everything to you—"

"NO! Tell me! Tell me what happened!"

There must be something from her expression or the steely conviction in her voice, but whatever second thoughts the doctor had was suddenly gone and he nodded to the nurse to dismiss her. Soon it was just Helen and Doctor Winstor in the white room.

The doctor signed, apparently not happy with what he was doing. Maybe he was afraid of aggravating his patient but Helen was too confused to care, besides, what could be worst than hearing about your best friends dying being tortured for days inside a cell with seven Death Eaters.

"Well, I'm surprised you do not remember anything but it seems like we need to check into that head injury of yours soon. You see Ms. Potter, it was a terrible accident I'm sure nobody could expect—well, your parents were great people…nobody would suspect that someone could get past security to plant a bomb inside their private jet minutes before all of you took off for your vacation…I must say, it was a miracle that you survived at all…"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Helen stared pensively out to the garden from her room's window. It was already a month in this strange sterile place, where everyone spoke strange English and she was ready to scream if anyone subjected her to any form of testing again.

Everything was bloody _insane_.

Apparently, she was the lone survivor of a freak bombing incident that killed both her parents, who were perfectly Muggle and in conjunction that made her Muggle too! She did not know how to feel about her new situation, since well, she lost her parents once again and she was supposed to be magic-less (the Dursleys would jump with joy at that thought!)…and she was fourteen.

It was all genuine, she had seen the papers. At least her parents were still James and Lily Potter!

If she could get her hands on Albus…

In fact, it was a great possibility that in this strange universe, the wizarding world and things like wands and potions did not even exist! She would bet her entire inheritance on that.

It was a good thing that Helen was no less magical than the last time she was in her old world—she was pretty sure that Albus's little trick had landed her in some strange alternate universe. Her magic still thrummed and purred silently under the surface, reacting pleasantly to her emotions and it was the only familiar thing she had now. She wondered if her magic went through any changes like her physical body, now with no wand to focus her magic Helen was not sure what to expect.

There was a soft knock from the door, and Ms. Bentley poked her head inside to nod at her. "'e's ready for you," she said in her thick drawl.

Helen nodded and politely thanked at the nurse who was quite taken with her during her duration of stay in the hospital. The nurses and some of the doctors referred to her as 'the poor young English girl who lost her parents' and were delighted with her politeness and 'adorable' accent.

Helen rather thought these people never saw real war and pain. They never commented on her constant nightmarish dreams or the dull pain in her eyes, they only saw a small fourteen years old who just lost her parents.

She let them be, in a way, it was refreshing to see people treating her like a normal patient, and not a fragile and mentally and emotionally crippled war hero. These people didn't know her, didn't treat her anymore special than the other patients here…wasn't this was what she often wished for? To be anonymous?

Clutching the handle of the small trunk containing her meager belongings that the hospital staff bought during her month in the hospital, Helen slowly marched out of the room. Ms. Bentley smiled and placed a comforting hand over her shoulder while several people she passed waved and wished her luck. A twelve-year-old boy, who was recovering from serious burn from next door room, gave her a hand-made card with a bright blush on his plump cheeks while his parents looked on with amusement. To her horror, she flushed light scarlet and was mortified at how _preteen_ she was.

It was…warm.

Ms. Bentley steered her calmly towards Dr. Winstor's spacious office, where the good doctor was sitting with a curly haired man with stiff posture. With a last parting 'good luck' and a strangely sudden hug, Ms. Bentley left her in the mercy of the two men sitting awkwardly on the couch.

Dr. Winstor motioned for her to come forward while the other man stared at her in silence.

Helen knew what was coming so she slowly approached the silent man and struck out her right hand, her green eyes watching.

"Hello, I'm Helen Potter and you must be Mr. Charlie Swan, it's nice to meet you and thank you for taking me in."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Charlie Swan was Lily Potter's cousin and the only living kin she had. He was divorced and lived in a small town of Forks, Washington as Chief of Police there. After the papers were settled he was now her legal guardian.

The trees had gotten denser as the car cruised closer to their destination until they spotted upon a sign welcoming them to Forks, Washington with three digit population. Charlie warned her that the weather in Forks was rarely sunny, but Helen appreciated the rain and gloom. It reminded her of home.

Charlie was a man of few words, he seemed committed to his job and quite content with the simple bachelor life he was living. Helen vowed to remain as unobtrusive as she could; she was already guilty enough to impose on this perfect stranger as she was now.

All through the whole ride, they barely spoke. Helen was never one for small talks, and it seemed so was Charlie. He stared at her a lot, sometimes telling her how unbelievable he thought everything was and how much she resembled her mother. The topic of her mother was a common ground and Helen rather thought Charlie seemed happy that she was living with him.

They pulled over a decent two-storey house, with a yard and garage and thick forest as the backdrop. Seeing all the untouched land, Helen wondered if she could transform into her Animagus form and flew through the forest.

Sweeping her ridiculously long front bangs from her eyes, Helen took everything in with detached interest. Everything was so…new and strange. She wondered if she could make it here before Charlie decided that she was unstable or a freak and kicked her out.

'_Albus do you think I deserve this chance…should I grab it…?'_

Charlie seemed to sense her dark mood as he glanced at her expression. He seemed pretty ashamed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Well, this is all I have. I know it's not what you are used to…"

Horrified, Helen shook her head "Oh no, I'm sorry it's not that! Your house is wonderful, I like it very much. I just hope I wouldn't be troubling you too much." It would be horrible if Charlie was to think of her as a spoiled heiress…she didn't know about the previous Helen in this world but she was definitely not unreasonable.

It seemed like he took her words as genuine, as he beamed and helped her inside his house. Everything in the house was what she expected of him. Simple and cozy, Helen saw feminine touches in his house—"it's my ex-wife, I never got around to redecorating"—and the happy pictures displayed in the living room touched her core. A smiling dark haired girl in pink tutu, a smiling woman hugging a baby in her arms…all pictures of family love, Helen suddenly felt very lonely.

Charlie showed her a small room with a window overlooking the back yard to call her own. She realized he prepared for her arrival as she noted the new bedspread and comforter and the new white curtain. Charlie remarked on her small pack and told her that all of her stuff in England will be delivered here next week after her family's lawyers settled all of her legal affairs and international transfer.

Helen didn't know about receiving things she had no actual right to, even if she was entitled to it legally. The Potters in this world seemed like a right bunch, she wondered if everything Helen Potter owned in her overdone mansion could fit into Charlie's humble house.

It seemed even Charlie was nervous about it.

"The room next to yours is my daughter's room, since she will be back here every summer vacation. She's the same age as you and is easy to have around, I hope both of you could be good friends." There was no mistaking the obvious pride in his voice as he spoke about his daughter. Helen had no will to tell him that the few friends she had were already dead and she was not looking forward to making new friends any soon.

Both of them clambered downstairs once again and Charlie showed her the kitchen. It was sadly lacking in a sense, only down to the bare essentials and Helen was reminded of the sad state of her old kitchen in the shack.

What good would it do if you had no one to share it with you?

Right that instant, Helen found herself a kindred spirit in Charlie Swan.

"I guess we will eat out for dinner today, I'm afraid that I don't have anything good to eat in the house." Charlie finally announced, his head still stuck in the cupboard trying to find decent ingredients for a simple stew.

"I'm sorry Helen; you must be pretty tired after that long drive. I'll go to get some groceries done after we're done with dinner, and stock up everything else in the house. I wish I had thought about it…you must need some toiletries and a few clothes to wear until all of your stuff gets here."

He seemed pretty beat up about it, with his dark brows crinkled in worry as he stood stiffly in the kitchen, clutching the countertop tightly with his hands.

Helen tried to reassure him. "Don't worry; I'll survive with what I had from the hospital. It's not your fault."

Charlie sighed, his anxiety finally caught up with him.

"No, it's not, and it's not your fault either Helen. All of this must be very hard for you…James and Lily, and then the hospital—"he didn't finish it but the rest of it hung silently in the air.

Helen didn't know what to say to him. Yes, it was a bloody horrible thing to happen to a person…but Helen was not a normal girl. It was just a few more things to add up in her messed up life. She was just thankful that Charlie was not the type to pry.

She didn't know why she did it, offering comfort was almost an alien thing to her, but she found herself placing her hands over Charlie's as a warm gesture.

"Its fine, Charlie. You don't have to worry about me; I know it's been horrible to you too. My mother is—_was_ your only relative left, you told me both of you used to be close. No matter what happens, I'm sure that my mother and father would be happier knowing that you are taking care of me. They will always be grateful to you, so as I and you will be just fine."

Those words felt strange coming out of her mouth, they were the longest she spoke in the past month but it seemed like they were the right things to say as Charlie sucked in a breath like he was punched and slowly calmed.

They stayed like that for what seemed like hours, with Helen holding one of Charlie's hands but later, it seemed the air was lighter between them even if they never spoke about it again.

They had dinner in a homely steak house, where everyone seemed to know everyone and Charlie was greeted with familiarity and Helen smoldering curiosity. It seemed like her arrival sparked the whole town's interest and they were all welcoming and staring at her.

She braced through the attention with will of steel, if only to not let Charlie down if she broke down in front of the whole town. It was not long before she felt claustrophobic and Charlie quickly steered her out of the restaurant with their dinner wrapped up in a plastic wrap.

Seeing her pathetic state, Charlie suggested that they head straight home and go grocery shopping another time.

"Are you sure you do not need to go see a doctor? You are shaking and sweating." They were in Charlie's patrol car, parked in front of Forks Hospital. Charlie insisted on a check-up but Helen rather got run over by rampaging Hippogriffs than going to the hospital, after being subjected to it for one month.

"It'll pass, it's just normal anxiety attack…doctors said I couldn't handle crowd well." Helen willed her body to relax, her attention mostly on her erratic magic and trying to keep it under wraps. She didn't want any accidental burst of magic around her that would really raise some questions. She had been doing remarkably well so far.

The frown on his face showed that Charlie was unconvinced.

"I'm fine, really Charlie! No need to raise any alarm, this will pass," she said, and for good measures, shot a look at the warm dinner wrapped up nicely in the back seat "besides, dinner's getting cold. We should head back."

She suddenly felt guilty for handling Charlie like that but she felt no need for more check-ups. She was fine up until now.

"If you are sure—" Charlie hesitated, his hand already clutching the keys to start the car. Helen just gave Charlie a heavy look, she was already feeling better. "—well, if it get worst tonight, I'm calling the ambulance." He warned and then they were off from the hospital's compound, letting Helen breath easier.

That night, Helen had one of the most restful sleep for awhile. She only dreamt of lifeless bodies and blood twice before they were overtaken by feeling of rushing freely through thick dense forest.

Perhaps things were finally looking up.


	3. Moving on

**A/N: So sorry for the late updates but since classes are starting (I'm on a VERY short break) I don't know when will I be able to update again…but I'll try my best. There's a short author's note at the end of the chapter but it's just my musings since a few readers are wondering about the Cullens (oh, they will be here soon…;p) and Bella's role (Bella makes a brief appearance in this chapter). I try to supply some hints but you guys just have to wait!**

**I love your supports and reviews and you guys should know that all of you made my day so keep 'em coming! Thank you!**

**Summary: AU. FemHarry. Albus Dumbledore always meant well whenever it comes to Helen Potter's well-being. When he, even in death, decided to give the broody witch a means to find happiness, he did not intent for her to be thrown unceremoniously into another universe in Forks, Washington D.C., America where wizards and witches didn't exists and their biggest near-magical threat was actually a secretive world of carnivorous vampires. Truly alone in the strange world, Helen was confounded with problems such as faulty magical core, Muggle authority, strange American culture…and the enigmatic Edward Cullen. **

**Pairings:** **FemHarry!Helen/Edward, Bella/Jacob, Alice/Jasper, Carlisle/Esme, Emmett/Rosalie, others**.

-

* * *

**  
Chapter 2  
**

The eyes were staring again but she ignored them in favour for scanning the label of the fruit juice she was holding. Her smooth forehead scrunched up in thought while one hand moved to tuck a stray strand of black curl behind delicate ears. People were whispering, voices muffled but she could still hear them if she concentrated enough. Nevertheless, she did not bother to since she already knew what was being talked about.

It had been a month, and nobody could get enough of her. It did not help that she was a complete recluse and that Charlie was also not talking. Dinner invitations and parties were politely declined and since the first night she was here, they never went out for any dinner or lunch. The only time she was seen in public would either be hospital visits or like now, grocery shopping and it was purely in favour of having proper supplies in the house. If it's up to Charlie, he had to take a few more trips to really get everything without forgetting an item or two.

A person saddled up beside her, her shopping cart bumping into hers. Helen looked up to meet a friendly smile on Leah Clearwater's face.

"You are going to be the youngest person with wrinkles if you keep doing that here let me make the decision for you." Then without prompt, the older girl took two cartons of orange and apple juice and placed it inside Helen's cart before returning the grape juice in her hand back to the aisle. Leah smiled at Helen's expression "Charlie may not seem like it but he's picky with his juices, and you look like an 'apple juice' drinker to me. No need to thank me," she said it with a bright cheer that left Helen quite stunned.

"uhh…umm, fine…"

"Oh, you are so cute!" Leah giggled and to her mortification, leaned over to pinch her cheek. Helen was itching to Hex the girl but she remembered that Charlie wouldn't like it if his friend's daughter came home with blue skin and warts growing on her face. Besides, Leah was always actually nice to her and didn't seem bothered by her moods. "Where's Charlie? I can't believe he left you here alone. He's usually hovering like a helicopter around you."

Even if it was true Helen couldn't help but felt indignant "Charlie's next door looking at fishing supplies, since I'm capable of looking after myself, he let me do the shopping myself!" it was one thing that absolutely annoyed her now. Even though she was physically and legally fourteen, Helen was eighteen going thirty. People learned not to treat her like a child and after a few days, even Charlie seemed to sense that she had the maturity beyond her physical age. Leah did not seem like she got the message, since she was perfectly fine on treating her like a child.

"Oh, that's awesome. I know mom wouldn't let me handle any real responsibilities until I'm old enough to drive myself. Speaking of which, I need to rush. I have to meet Sam in fifteen minutes, we're going hiking! I'll tell him you said hi, and oh, I'll be coming over around five to drop the books I promised, see ya later cutie!"

Leah was already in High School and she was an honour student in junior high. Since Helen refused to continue her schooling in the private English school Helen Potter went to, and it was a bit late (not to mention a waste of time since there was only a few month of school left) to register to any American school, she was going to be home schooled and Leah offered to tutor for a small fee. The school in Forks was nice enough to let her join the other students for the final exam and even provided the materials for her to prepare. Having minimal Muggle education, Helen planned to blame her future abysmal result on the different education system and her _traumatizing_ experience.

Helen nodded to Leah as the girl waved cheerily before disappearing from view. Her life was slowly, but surely settling down. Her unknown life in England, the family's estates and state of affairs were handled by family lawyers and trusted employees, she had more money than she would care to know, Charlie was wonderful and understanding, Fork's untouched nature and weather was perfect, and people on Forks will slowly calm their curiosity down. Life was surely going to be a calm, quiet affair for Helen but why does it felt like soon, something big was going to happen and change everything.

Helen felt incredibly cold just thinking about it.

* * *

Charlie was waiting by his car, tugging his jacket closer to ward off Fork's usual chill, when the door the shop opened to reveal his charge walking through with both hands full of paper bags. The wind blew against her, sweeping her long, thick black hair back and it caused a group of teenage boys loitering near the shop to stop and stare.

Not liking the way the boys were looking at his young charge, Charlie glared warningly at them and the boys were quick to scamper away. Oblivious to her effect on the opposite gender, Helen huffed as she dumped her burden on the backseat of the car before entering the car beside Charlie. She mumbled about meeting Leah Clearwater and after that, they drove back in comfortable silence.

Charlie knew that Helen did not appreciate it but her arrival really took the small town of Forks like a storm. It was not only due to her appearance; with thick black hair falling in curls down her back, creamy white skin, rosy cheeks and startling bottle-green eyes, everyone were also a little crazy over her thick accent and mysterious persona. Charlie had people stopping over the station to ask about his mysterious charge, rumours about her background down to her favourite food were abundant and he was very glad that Helen decided to forgo school and opt for home schooling until High School. He didn't think she would appreciate being mobbed on first day of school.

Speaking of quiet little girls, he received a call from Bella this morning. Apparently, she was coming to Forks as soon as summer starts and reminded him to pick her up on the designated date. Charlie did not ask the reason but it was probably due to Renee's new boyfriend. Bella was a sweet girl, with a good head on her shoulder and he was not fooling himself into thinking out of Bella and Renee, who was taking care of who. It was not a slight to his ex-wife's capabilities, it was just that he knew Renee was more of a free-spirit and Bella was too sensible to let her mother land herself into any trouble.

In a sense, he was glad that Bella was living with Renee.

"Charlie," large green eyes peered at him and Charlie realized that he was already parked in the house's driveway without even thinking about it. The power of habit! They carried everything inside the house and as Charlie entered the threshold of the house, he instantly _felt_ the house perked up and _sang._

Now, it was one of the few strange things that he noticed since Helen's arrival. He did not know how, but whenever Helen stepped into a room, the air in it positively cleared and became warm. Like for instance, in this house; there was no physical evidence, it was more to a feeling but he felt that the house felt _happy_ that they were home. Furthermore, Charlie also sometimes felt like the forest near the house was livelier. A day did not gone by without him waking up to see a deer or bird or other forest animals loitering near Helen's window; it was almost like a scene in one of those silly Disney movies Bella forced him to watched when she was four. Aside from the fact that those forest animals were terrified of human, Charlie had never seen anything bigger than a chipmunk straying in their house's compound before.

As usual, Charlie opted for the safest reaction. He ignored them.

Even when Billy commented that he saw a wolf sleeping on swing of his backyard once. A wolf!

Shaking his head at the memory, Charlie Swan decided that as long as those animals didn't harm anyone, he would let them and their curiosity be.

After sorting through the groceries, Charlie helped Helen to prepare lunch and they had their chicken and ham sandwich with salad out on the porch while watching the rain. To his immense relief, Helen Potter knew her way perfectly through the kitchen so since she was here they had been eating good, hearty meals. For an upper-crust society girl he knew any offspring of the Potters would be, Helen was pleasantly normal, she knew how to cook, made up her own bed, do laundry, cleaning and even gardening (she was starting a garden growing vegetables and herbs).

"After the rain stops, I think I will continue working on the garden. The lady from the shop gave me a pack of new seeds to work on," of course, everyone in town also knew about her little garden, how, he had no idea.

"Good idea, want me to look at the leak to the shelter?" Helen shook her head. Since it rained so much here, they built a shelter out of wood sticks and canvas over the beds of growing plants. It was almost like a glasshouse, albeit a little crude but Helen seemed happy enough with it.

"No thanks, I already fixed it."

He gave her a look of surprise before shrugging his shoulders. The girl was quite dedicated to her garden.

After an hour, the rain stopped and Helen disappeared to the back of the house with her tools while Charlie watched football reruns on the cable. After a few minutes of uninspiring play, Charlie found himself wandering to the back of the house to check on Helen. He blinked when he saw several species of birds and even a pair of brown rabbits hanging around the garden to watch the small black haired girl digging dirt and planting seed. It looked like a mini zoo.

With a last blink, Charlie turned around and return to his previous activity of watching players getting pummeled on the field without scoring any points.

* * *

She scanned the piece of paper for the last time, rereading the content and making sure she was not missing anything. Leah glanced at her from her driver's seat and rolled her eyes when Helen sighed again.

"Oh stop that!" the paper was snatched away and tossed to the back of the car, which landed innocently on the backseat of the Clearwater's rusty Ford station wagon. "You did well, and who cares if you barely pass American History? You are barely American! Stop worrying, Charlie's not gonna kick you out for having trouble naming all of America's Presidents, in fact, even he may not be able to name all!" Helen had to glare at the other girl as Leah cheerfully plodded on.

"You have no tact whatsoever," Helen muttered and Leah smirked.

"Who needs tact when they have both beauty and brain!" there was a silence before they burst in laughter (more like Leah laughing while Helen cracked a small smile).

Strangely so, both Leah and Helen became good friends despite their different personalities. Leah had a bright, aggressive personality; always full of cheer with an unforgiving tongue. Everyone who knew Leah would describe her as a spontaneous live wire, but when angered she could be a right harpy. Helen was younger, and more reserved. Everyone in town thought she was a bit of a mystery but they seemed taken by her quiet and calm nature. What was not public knowledge was that Helen had the temper to rival Leah when provoked and was prone to sullen brooding if left alone.

Today was the day her exam result was released and since Charlie had to work, Leah drove her to Forks Junior High to retrieve the offending piece of paper with all of her grades written on it. Generally, she did quite well for someone who was trained in magical education. To her immediate surprise, Helen discovered that the materials she was studying was not unfamiliar and was able to process all the scientific and mathematical theories and formulas perfectly. It must be due to the fact that her brain couldn't really forget all the things she knew as the prodigal daughter of Potter Family, she tested it by fooling around with the upright piano brought from England (it was the few possessions of Helen Potter that could fit in the house, the rest were sealed in the mansion in England) and discovered that she knew how to play songs with foreign terms she knew nothing about before.

It was great but not much help in subjects like History of America (it appeared that Helen was never a History buff, both in this world or another).

"Where are we going?" Helen frowned as Leah took a different turn than the road leading to the house.

"Oh, I just thought we could have lunch at my house and then go to the beach!" Leah grinned, her eyes twinkling and Helen did not have the heart to snap at the older girl for once again making plans for both of them without her consent. "I'm gonna show you English snob how we hot-blooded Americans have fun around here—"

"—I'm shaking with anticipation"

"—we're going surfing, the beach, the water, you are going to love it—"

"—in this freezing weather?"

Leah shrugged at Helen's incredulous expression "When you are having fun, the cold doesn't bother you much, oh, come one, you are going to love it!"

At Leah's enthusiasm, Helen decided to give her the benefit of the doubt "We'll see,"

Sue Clearwater treated her surprise lunch guest with cheer and insisted on Helen having two servings of everything while Leah's brother, Seth didn't look her in the eyes all through lunch. After the table was cleared the twelve year old quickly disappeared from the house without as much as a word to her, much to the Clearwater women's amusement while Helen tried not to feel insulted. She also tried not to feel insulted when she was given a wet suit Leah worn when she was twelve "it's the only thing I know that will fit you, considering that you are sort of _small_." Which could be translated into '_just suck it up, Potter_'

Helen never really cared about how she looked but it was one thing to have an attractive older female _friend_ telling you that you were sorely lacking in certain department of your body. It was not her fault that she was small boned, had a small appetite, and had slower growth spurts than most girls her age!

They arrived at the beach and Helen was confronted with a small case of déjà vu. The grey, cold beach (even though it was nearing Summer) was quite a change from the green, cold forest scenery in Forks and Helen found herself liking the place as much as the forest. The salty air and cooling breeze felt like a nice, calming blanket; it reminded her of her old house in Cornwall.

However, instead of the silence and loneliness in her old house, Helen found herself being guided by Leah to a group of rowdy older teens who ought to be anyone but Leah's schoolmates. Introductions were made and Helen didn't catch any of their names. There were two boys and three other girls, the three girls gave Helen friendly smiles but were not very forthcoming to the idea of including Helen in their little group while the two boys only had to smile lecherously for her to steer clear of them. It was suffice to say that she stuck close to Leah, who later confessed that she was not particularly close to the group and only met by coincidence, before Sam arrived with two surfing boards on tow.

Sam gave them a big smile, his eyes lightened up like a lamp as Leah screamed in delight.

"SAM! You made it" Helen swore she never met anyone who moved as fast as Leah when the older girl instantly ran and jumped on her boyfriend. The other teens greeted Sam with familiarity but stayed put from their spot near the water while Leah and Sam kept their arms around each other.

Pretending to tie up her long hair to keep busy, Helen waited beside Leah's orange surf board for the couple to finish their little 'reunion' before Leah dragged her boyfriend over. After being around Leah for a while, Helen now knew that Leah came in a package of two, if one was to see Leah or Sam without the other for a prolong set of time, something must be seriously wrong. They were the kind of lovers that compliment each other, their different personalities balancing out their partner and anyone could see that they were pretty much involved with one another.

It was the kind of affection that Helen had no way of knowing.

"How's it going there Helen," Sam was an easy person to like. He was kind, his gestures calm and he didn't have to raise his voice to have his opinion heard. She was sure that Sam would make a good leader; he had that dignity and intelligence that was rare in guys his age. Strangely, she sometimes wondered if this was how Remus was when he was that age. "I hope you don't mind using my old board, it's not easy on the eyes but this baby had never let me down before." He said and Helen was presented with a surf board that had seen better days.

"Oh no, thank you for lending me your board. I don't mean to impose," this was said with a pointed glare at Leah who only smirked. They had agreed on sharing Leah's board (more like Leah just humming uncommittedly).

"It's not a bother, that thing is just lying around the garage."

"You guys come on! The wave's great!" one of the girls hollered from the water. The five of them were already swimming and surfing with the crashing wave. Helen felt a thrill of anticipation. They looked like they were having fun. She had never tried something like this, heck; she never ventured to even swim in the sea even when she lived in Cornwall.

Grasping her hand, Leah laughed and dragged her towards the water while Sam trailed behind.

Later, Helen discovered the joy of falling off the board and getting pummeled by waves and sea water on her first try but when she had her grasp on it; Helen felt such rush of adrenaline when she found herself riding the huge waves with the rest. It was almost like riding her broom.

At the end of the day, she was thoroughly wet and shivering but it was the first the time she ever laughed since she was there.

* * *

The sound of Charlie's car arriving at the driveway pulled her away from her task, and Helen wiped her hands with the dish towel. Charlie's gruff voice carried into the kitchen, accompanied with a lighter voice belonging to a female. Taking in a huge calming breath, Helen smoothened down her hair and walked into the living room.

Charlie looked very happy; he was carrying a duffel bag on his shoulder while talking to a tall dark haired girl in damp dark clothing. The girl was pale, astoundingly so, and her dark hair could only be mahogany coloured if dry. She was exceptionally tall with long elegant limbs and was dressed in non-descript grey shirt with a black hoodie over it and jeans. She was looking around the house in silent wonder, as if discovering something vastly different from the place since the last time she was there.

Suddenly Helen felt nervous. What was she going to say to Charlie's daughter? Wouldn't the other girl resent her presence here? She was gone for awhile and now another person was living in her father's spare bedroom, making herself home in this house. Helen was about to bolt until Charlie turned around and saw her fidgeting there.

"Oh there you are Helen! Come here and meet Bella, I told her all about you," the man said, and Isabella Swan turned her attention to her.

Bella's eyes were large pools of dark chocolate and they were so deep and watchful. They looked unsettling on such young face and Helen instantly felt something from the other girl. There was energy around her, a pulsating air that envelope her form like a blanket. She felt it on a few people around here, each person different from another. Like Sam, he had a fiery aura around him that smelt like wood and damp forest; and also Charlie's friend Billy Black and his son Jacob…and on a smaller scale Leah. Bella's smelt like pure water, calm and cool.

"Hello," Bella said quietly, and she seemed to be watching Helen as intently as she did. The taller girl's face was hard to read but she didn't give and unpleasant signals to show that she were displeased of Helen's presence in her home. "I'm Bella," she offered a hand.

"Helen," her name was drawled out softly, she watched beneath half-lidded eyes as their hands shook and Bella's eyes widened marginally. "It's nice to meet you,"

Charlie left them to talk while he deposited Bella's bag in her room so he didn't notice the strange meeting between the two teenagers. Helen was almost sure that there was something different about Bella, she felt…special.

It intrigued her.

In this world, magic worked differently. Even when she was able to channel her core into wandless magic with more concentration than she was used to, she found out that her magic thrived when surrounded by nature. The air felt vastly different here and the magic was wilder and richer here, she practically felt it thrumming and singing pleasantly on her skin. It was a pleasant sensation; it felt like the magic here was more free, unbounded with limitations and untainted by dark feelings. Sometimes, her magic acted on its own course, crawling out to touch and feel everything around her. At first it was disconcerting, even scary, she had never lose control of her magic like that before but she soon realized that it was her magic responding to the new environment she was thrust in. Just like how she felt drawn and attracted to the whispering magic around her, _they _also responded to her as enthusiastically.

Also, sometimes there were people in this world that had a different touch of magic in their person, Helen likened it to aura. It was like they had a small concentrated sort of magic surrounding them; and from their different feel and sometimes smell, it meant that they possessed certain qualities or abilities that set them apart from others. It felt like nothing from her old world and she felt a slight excitement from this discovery. Even though they felt no more different than normal people, they were the closest things she had to compare to the magical society. It made her feel less like an anomaly in this already perfectly normal place.

In the days that followed, Helen found herself spending more time in the house with Charlie and Bella. The Clearwaters were off on a long family vacation and was going to be gone for almost the whole summer. Sam had kindly left her his old surfboard but without Leah there to drag her out, she opted to tend to her thriving garden and venturing into the forest on her own. Her Animagus form was very taken to the freedom the place gave and every consecutive trip made her feel lighter than ever.

Similar to her father, Bella was unobtrusive and independent. Like Charlie, she sensed that Helen needed her time alone to adjust and heal while unlike Leah, she couldn't sense the time to barge in and demand some interaction. In a way, Bella was wrapped in her own world and preferred to be left to her own devices, and Helen was not complaining. She felt that they could be better friend but none of them were making the first move.

"Out for a walk?"

Bella was lounging on the wooden bench near the garden, trying to soak up whatever sunlight Forks had to offer. The girl revealed once that she absolutely hate the cloudy and cold weather in Forks and was often found to seek out desperately the sun during the rare clear days like moth to light. There was a thick volume of book on her lap, the kind of classic stories the girl liked to devour. The girl seemed to be quite the romantic. True to the warmer weather, Bella was garbed in a simple white top with a loose pair of worn jeans and she looked more comfortable than the last few days, miserable being bundled up to ward the chill.

Unlike Bella, Helen was wearing thicker clothes and had on a pair of comfortable shoes. The upper parts of the forest could get pretty chilly and even if a spell of Warming Charm could do the work, it was more convenient to dress properly instead of having all her energy focused on one casting charm. Besides, the running would warm up her body, not to mention she could turn in her Animagus form if any emergencies occurred. Her animal would be faster to move if anything untoward happened.

"Just a short one, I'll be back before the sun set."

Bella nodded at her and gave her a hesitant smile "be careful out there, there used to be bear sightings out there." The girl warned, looking quite worried and Helen assured her that nothing dangerous was out in the woods and she was going to be extra careful. Besides, she had no idea how to tell Bella that she had her own entourage of bodyguards comprising several interested wildlife who just seemed content of following docilely after her in the woods.

Honestly, sometimes she even saw a bear observing her curiously from the river she passed once.

These animals seemed curious of her. Even though _she_ felt like a zoo exhibit sometimes, she would not lie to say that she didn't enjoy it!

Her magic had the weirdest effect on animals.

With that thought in her head, Helen ventured out to the forest with a wave at Bella and instantly, the forest around her came to life.

Her magic hummed.

* * *

**A/N:** Hmm, I guess there are a few improvements in the plot for this chapter. As you all noticed, I am placing down the foundations to Helen's road in adjusting to her life in Forks. She's not going to suddenly become happy or perky or even becoming so angst and moody that everyone will feel like hitting her in the face. Having people who are supportive around her is important so I'm not throwing her into the whole school crowd and romance thing so soon without her having any form of security in life (I know everyone is _dying_ for the romance).

I promise that this will not be a bash-Bella story; in fact she is a decent character if you ignore the whole Book 2 and Book 3 Bella / Edward fiasco. I only like Bella in first half of Twilight book and last half of Breaking Dawn. Bella will not play much part in the beginning since she's only going to be a permanent resident in Forks later when she's sixteen but I plan to make Helen relate more to Bella since her character have so much potential. However, they will not be instant friends or sisters…but things will be better, I promise!

I'm going to play around with the dealings in Forks pre-Twilight…thus the reason Helen is so young! (there is a reason why Leah is Helen's friend and the Cullens could only arrive between Bella's last summer visit and the year she decided to stay in Forks at the age of fifteen)

I figure some tension in Forks will arrive when Bella's gone back to Phoenix and the Cullen's arrival in one or maybe two chapters later…there's the thing with Sam and Leah…ohh…the drama!

There was a brief explanation on her magical core, well, she's going to have some trouble with using her magic like she was used to, don't expect the usual Hogwarts style. We'll see how this will turn out soon… (plot bunnies are bouncing around again)


End file.
